Butcher's Hill by Laura Lippman - the 3rd Tess Monaghan book. She's made it official and has opened her own office as a private investigator. Her first client is the notorious vigilante, Luther Beale, just out of prison for killing a young boy. He wants her to find the witnesses to the crime so that he can make retribution to them. But when they start turning up dead Tess wonders if she's helping him find them for another reason. Published in 1998, there are some interesting conversations about race that are relevant to today. Tess is starting to grow on me as she continues to become more mature.
3.5 stars
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Downfall by J.A. Jance - Sheriff Joanna Brady is planning the funeral of her mother and stepfather when she receives word there has been a murder/suicide or double homicide. Two women have been found at the bottom of a cliff. When it becomes apparent there was no connection between the two women, Joanna finds herself in the middle of a complex investigation while also grieving. And oh yes, she's also expecting a baby girl and in the middle of a reelection campaign.
4.5 stars
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Blind Sight by Carol O'Connell - the 12th Kathleen Mallory book. A nun and a blind boy disappear from a busy street and no one sees it happen. Mallory becomes involved because of the nun and the clues lead to the mayor of New York. This book is written in a (to me) disjointed style that makes it almost necessary to have read at least some of the previous books. The books are dark, Mallory is not likeable, and this book is no exception. I find them strangely compelling.
4 stars
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A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny - the 12th Armand Gamache book and the author is still going strong. The books starts with little tidbits of hints of what's to come and just keeps building. Gamache has come out of retirement to become head of the Surete police academy. The corruption he's been fighting has settled even here and he plans to dig it out. But a murder may lay those plans to rest. There's also an old found map, sullen cadets and a mysterious girl woven in.
5 stars
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An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison - the author's story of her struggle with manic depression beginning in her teen years. She has gone on to become a leading authority on the disease.
4 stars
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Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris - Jack and Grace are the perfect couple. He's handsome and oh so attentive to her every thought. She pulls off dinner parties with ease. But what happens when everyone leaves? It's not a spoiler to say not everything is as it seems. It's the why that's horrifying.
3 stars
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Oct 30 - Nov 5, 2016
The White Mirror by Elsa Hart - Li Du, an exiled librarian and now independent traveler, is traveling with a caravan in the mountains leading to Lhasa. A storm forces them to seek shelter in a secluded valley where they come upon a dead monk on a bridge. There are many undercurrents swirling among the travelers and their hosts and Li Du begins to suspect the death of the monk was not really suicide. I found this second in the series a little disappointing. There were almost too many legends and suspicions woven into the main story.
3 stars
3 stars
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Oct 23 - 29, 2016
Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart - I read this on the recommendation of one of my favorite authors, Louise Penny. This takes place in a remote province of China in 1708. Li Du, once an imperial librarian and now an exile, arrives in Dayan just a few days before the emperor of China is due. The emperor is there to witness the eclipse of the sun he has ordered. A Jesuit priest is found dead and Li Du is convinced it's murder. His insistence on discovering the truth has consequences that reach even the emperor. Lots of historical tidbits and full of atmosphere. The beginning of a series I want to continue.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Oct 16 - 22, 2016
Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman - Tess Monaghan's friend is having trouble with his fiancee. He wants to hire Tess to investigate, even though she's not a PI, but an unemployed newspaper reporter. Her meddling leads to her friend being accused of murder and that, of course, leads to more meddling. A somewhat convoluted plot. And I didn't find Tess likeable during most of the book, but I think she's changing. Written in 1997 and the beginning of a 12 book series so far. I've read the author before but somehow have missed this series.
3 stars
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The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson - twenty years ago the author wrote a book, Notes From a Small Island, about his travels in Britain and now he decides to revisit some of the towns and surrounding areas. The book is filled with lots of interesting tidbits and descriptions of a countryside the author obviously loves. It also has a few curmudgeonly rants - he's my age so I did identify with some of them. IMO, they weakened the book. The first page did have an amusing story that had me laughing out loud and my family looking at me like I was crazy. Some language.
3.5 stars
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Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb - the 43rd(!) book in the series starts from the viewpoint of the killer targeting apparently random people at a skating rink. In the blink of an eye, three people are dead and Eve Dallas heads the investigation. This seems more of a police procedural than previous books, we know the killers identity fairly soon and then it's all about how to catch them. I enjoyed this more than the previous book.
3 stars
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You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up by Lisa Jakub - the author became an actress at age 4 almost accidentally. She stayed in the business 18 years, starring in Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day. But acting for her only fed her insecurities. She left Hollywood at 22 and reinvented herself. Verged on the whiny for me, but I'm in the minority on Goodreads.
3 stars
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Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah - Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in a another mystery. Poirot and Inspector Catchpool (the narrator of the story) have been invited to the estate of Lady Playford, an author of children's books. At dinner she announces she has changed her will to leave everything to a man who is dying. Of course murder ensues, although maybe not the expected victim. What follows is a convoluted plot with lots of red herrings and peopled by some of the most unlikeable people I have ever met on a page. Not Christie worthy, imo.
2 stars
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Charm City by Laura Lippman - the second Tess Monaghan novel and she's starting to grow on me. She takes on some new responsibilities and seems to be growing up. This time around, she's hired by a newspaper to find out who caused a damaging story to be published. And then the subject of the article commits suicide. These books seem to be as much about the city of Baltimore as they are about the story. Published almost 20 years ago, it's interesting to see the women characters struggling to be accepted in the workplace. Things have changed a lot and yet so much is still the same. Anyway, the plot was nothing special, but I'm curious to see how Tess continues to change.
3 stars
3 stars
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The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson - twenty years ago the author wrote a book, Notes From a Small Island, about his travels in Britain and now he decides to revisit some of the towns and surrounding areas. The book is filled with lots of interesting tidbits and descriptions of a countryside the author obviously loves. It also has a few curmudgeonly rants - he's my age so I did identify with some of them. IMO, they weakened the book. The first page did have an amusing story that had me laughing out loud and my family looking at me like I was crazy. Some language.
3.5 stars
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Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb - the 43rd(!) book in the series starts from the viewpoint of the killer targeting apparently random people at a skating rink. In the blink of an eye, three people are dead and Eve Dallas heads the investigation. This seems more of a police procedural than previous books, we know the killers identity fairly soon and then it's all about how to catch them. I enjoyed this more than the previous book.
3 stars
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You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up by Lisa Jakub - the author became an actress at age 4 almost accidentally. She stayed in the business 18 years, starring in Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day. But acting for her only fed her insecurities. She left Hollywood at 22 and reinvented herself. Verged on the whiny for me, but I'm in the minority on Goodreads.
3 stars
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Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah - Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in a another mystery. Poirot and Inspector Catchpool (the narrator of the story) have been invited to the estate of Lady Playford, an author of children's books. At dinner she announces she has changed her will to leave everything to a man who is dying. Of course murder ensues, although maybe not the expected victim. What follows is a convoluted plot with lots of red herrings and peopled by some of the most unlikeable people I have ever met on a page. Not Christie worthy, imo.
2 stars
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Charm City by Laura Lippman - the second Tess Monaghan novel and she's starting to grow on me. She takes on some new responsibilities and seems to be growing up. This time around, she's hired by a newspaper to find out who caused a damaging story to be published. And then the subject of the article commits suicide. These books seem to be as much about the city of Baltimore as they are about the story. Published almost 20 years ago, it's interesting to see the women characters struggling to be accepted in the workplace. Things have changed a lot and yet so much is still the same. Anyway, the plot was nothing special, but I'm curious to see how Tess continues to change.
3 stars
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Oct 9 - 15, 2016
Home by Harlan Coben - it's been five years since the last Myron Bolitar book and this was a great return. Ten years ago, two six year old boys were kidnapped, and after the initial ransom demand, nothing was heard again. But one of them is related to Myron's friend, Win, and he has never stopped looking. So when one of the boys turns up, his search intensifies for the other boy. Lots of twists and turns. The last page surprised me in a good way. Some violence, language, and child endangerment.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
Friday, October 7, 2016
Oct 2 - 8, 2016
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett - a memoir only about her television show. She discusses the cast, production people, and her guest stars. No nastiness here, she only has bad things to say about one guest star and doesn't name them. Maybe a little too detailed about some of the sketches, they're not quite as funny on the page.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
Sunday, October 2, 2016
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